Thursday June 3, 2010
Over 800 Iowa Church Leaders Support the Traditional Family
By James Tillman
DES MOINES, Iowa, June 3, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) — A letter and a petition in support of traditional marriage, signed by a total of 834 Iowa pastors and church leaders, are being circulated throughout Iowa in anticipation of the November election.
“We, the undersigned, affirm our strong belief that the traditional definition of marriage is fundamentally important and necessary for a stable society,” states one petition. “More than five thousand years of world history, more than two centuries of American history, and more than one hundred fifty years of Iowa history has shown this to be true.”
“Yet Iowa’s highest court has declared this definition obsolete and has shown flagrant disregard for Iowa’s constitution by establishing their opinion as law.”
The Iowa Supreme Court legalized homosexual “marriage” last year, arguing that the traditional definition of marriage violated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution.
The repeal of this judicially-imposed law is a pressing issue in the Republican primary. All the Republican candidates for governor oppose homosexual “marriage” and support a constitutional amendment making it illegal. Bob Vander Plaats has gone a step farther than the others, saying he would issue an executive order his first day in office to prevent the performance of homosexual “marriages” until the legislature or voters address the issue.
The two documents are part of a push by pro-family leaders attempting to show politicians the strength of the movement on behalf of traditional marriage.
Rev. Brad Sherman, pastor of Solid Rock Christian Center, said: “These petitions, signed by hundreds of church leaders from all over Iowa, send a loud clear message to any candidate running for office in Iowa: Don’t deny the people their right to vote on this issue or you will lose our votes.”
Representatives of the Iowa Family Policy Center and Purpose Ministries were present at a press conference announcing the two documents. The Purpose Ministries petition contains 422 names, while the IFPC Minister’s Marriage Letter contains 485 names; together the two lists contain 823 unique names.
The conference countered an earlier document released by advocates of homosexuality, in which more than 150 clergy said that they stood “together in support of civil marriage equality for ALL families.”
Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, said that those who signed the “petition in support of state sanctioned sodomy are not only wolves in sheep’s clothing, but they are blind leaders of the blind.”
“The good news is that there are still over 800 Christian pastors and ministers in Iowa who have not bowed the knee to the false god of homosexuality and sexual perversion,” he continued. “They are the watchmen on the wall in our state, and should be commended.”
“I encourage those who signed the Interfaith Alliance petition to repent, turn to Christ, and join us in showing genuine concern for both the physical and the spiritual wellbeing of those caught up in the destructive sin of homosexuality.